AB 1935: Local control and accountability plans and charter school goals and actions updates: posting in different languages.
- Session Year: 2015-2016
- House: Assembly
- Latest Version Date: 2016-04-21
Existing law requires the governing board of each school district and county board of education to adopt a local control and accountability plan using a state template adopted by the State Board of Education and to update their local control and accountability plans before July 1 of each year. Existing law requires the local control and accountability plan to include, among other things, a description of annual goals for all pupils and specified subgroups of pupils to be achieved for each state priority, as specified, and a description of the specific actions the school district or county superintendent of schools will take to achieve those goals.
Existing law requires superintendents of school districts and county superintendents of schools to post on the Internet Web site of school districts or county offices of education, as appropriate, local control and accountability plans approved by the governing board of the school district or the county board of education, as appropriate, and any updates or revisions to local control and accountability plans approved by the appropriate governing bodies. Existing law also requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to post links to all local control and accountability plans approved by the governing boards of school districts and county boards of education on the Internet Web site of the State Department of Education.
Existing law provides that, when 15% or more of the pupils enrolled in a public school speak a single primary language other than English, all notices, reports, statements, or records sent to the parent or guardian of any such pupil by the school or school district shall, in addition to English, be written in their primary language, and may be responded to either in English or their primary language.
This bill would require these multilingual notice requirements to apply to a local control and accountability plan or update or revision posted to the Internet Web site of a school district, a county of office of education, or the Superintendent of Pubic Instruction.
To the extent this bill would impose additional requirements on school districts and county offices of education, it would impose a state-mandated local program.
Existing law requires charter schools to update the charter schools goals and actions to achieve those goals annually.
This bill would require, each year, a charter school to post on its Internet Web site the annual update of goals and actions in English and, if 15% or more of the pupils enrolled in the charter school speak a single primary language other than English, in each of those primary languages, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
Existing law requires the governing board of each school district and county board of education to adopt a local control and accountability plan using a state template adopted by the State Board of Education and to update their local control and accountability plans before July 1 of each year. Existing law requires the local control and accountability plan to include, among other things, a description of annual goals for all pupils and specified subgroups of pupils to be achieved for each state priority, as specified, and a description of the specific actions the school district or county superintendent of schools will take to achieve those goals.
Existing law requires superintendents of school districts and county superintendents of schools to post on the Internet Web site of school districts or county offices of education, as appropriate, local control and accountability plans approved by the governing board of the school district or the county board of education, as appropriate, and any updates or revisions to local control and accountability plans approved by the appropriate governing bodies. Existing law also requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to post links to all local control and accountability plans approved by the governing boards of school districts and county boards of education on the Internet Web site of the State Department of Education.
Existing law provides that, when 15% or more of the pupils enrolled in a public school speak a single primary language other than English, all notices, reports, statements, or records sent to the parent or guardian of any such pupil by the school or school district shall, in addition to English, be written in their primary language, and may be responded to either in English or their primary language.
This bill would require these multilingual notice requirements to apply to a local control and accountability plan or update or revision posted to the Internet Web site of a school district, a county of office of education, or the Superintendent of Pubic Instruction.
To the extent this bill would impose additional requirements on school districts and county offices of education, it would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
(a)On or before July 1, 2015, and each year thereafter, a charter school shall update the goals and annual actions to achieve those goals identified in the charter pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 47605 or subparagraph (A) of paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 47605.6. The annual update shall be developed using the template adopted pursuant to Section 52064 and shall include all of the following:
(1)A review of the progress toward the goals included in the charter, an assessment of the effectiveness of the specific actions described in the charter toward achieving the goals, and a description of changes to the specific actions the charter school will make as a result of the review and assessment.
(2)A listing and description of the expenditures for the fiscal year implementing the specific actions included in the charter as a result of the reviews and assessment required by paragraph (1).
(b)The expenditures identified in subdivision (a) shall be classified using the California School Accounting Manual pursuant to Section 41010.
(c)For purposes of the review required by subdivision (a), a governing body of a charter school may consider qualitative information, including, but not limited to, findings that result from school quality reviews conducted pursuant to subparagraph (J) or paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 52052 or any other reviews.
(d)To the extent practicable, data reported pursuant to this section shall be reported in a manner consistent with how information is reported on a school accountability report card.
(e)The charter school shall consult with teachers, principals, administrators, other school personnel, parents, and pupils in developing the annual update.
(f)Each year, a charter school shall post on its Internet Web site the annual update of goals and actions developed pursuant to subdivision (a) in English and, if 15 percent or more of the pupils enrolled in the charter school speak a single primary language other than English, in each of those primary languages.
SECTION 1.SEC. 2.Section 52065 of the Education Code is amended to read:52065.(a)The superintendent of a school district shall post on the Internet Web site of the school district any local control and accountability plan approved by the governing board of the school district, and any updates or revisions to a local control and accountability plan approved by the governing board of the school district, in English and each language required pursuant to Section 48985.
(b)A county superintendent of schools shall do all of the following:
(1)Post on the Internet Web site of the county office of education any local control and accountability plan approved by the county board of education, and any updates or revisions to a local control and accountability plan approved by the county board of education, in English and each language required pursuant to Section 48985.
(2)Post all local control and accountability plans submitted by school districts, or links to those plans, on the Internet Web site of the county office of education.
(3)Transmit or otherwise make available to the Superintendent all local control and accountability plans submitted to the county superintendent of schools by school districts and the local control and accountability plan approved by the county board of education.
(c)The Superintendent shall post links to all local control and accountability plans approved by the governing boards of school districts and county boards of education, in each language posted on the Internet Web site of the school district or county office of education, on the Internet Web site of the department.
SEC. 2.SEC. 3.If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(a)The superintendent of a school district shall post on the Internet Web site of the school district any local control and accountability plan approved by the governing board of the school district, and any updates or revisions to a local control and accountability plan approved by the governing board of the school district. district, in English and each language required pursuant to Section 48985.
(b)A county superintendent of schools shall do all of the following:
(1)Post on the Internet Web site of the county office of education any local control and accountability plan approved by the county board of education, and any updates or revisions to a local control and accountability plan approved by the county board of education. education, in English and each language required pursuant to Section 48985.
(2)Post all local control and accountability plans submitted by school districts, or links to those plans, on the Internet Web site of the county office of education.
(3)Transmit or otherwise make available to the Superintendent all local control and accountability plans submitted to the county superintendent of schools by school districts and the local control and accountability plan approved by the county board of education.
(c)The Superintendent shall post links to all local control and accountability plans approved by the governing boards of school districts and county boards of education education, in each language posted on the Internet Web site of the school district or county office of education, on the Internet Web site of the department.
SEC. 2.If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
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Date
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Status
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| Feb 12, 2016 | Read first time. To print. |
| Feb 16, 2016 | From printer. May be heard in committee March 17. |
| Feb 25, 2016 | Referred to Com. on ED. |
| Apr 6, 2016 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author. |
| Apr 20, 2016 | From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 13). |
| Apr 21, 2016 | Read second time and amended. |
| Apr 25, 2016 | Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Apr 27, 2016 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| May 27, 2016 | In committee: Held under submission. |
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Date
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Description
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Location
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Votes
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| Apr 13, 2016 | Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] | Assembly Standing Committee on Education |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
Date of Hearing: April 27, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1935
Author:(Kim) – As Amended Ver:April 21, 2016
Policy Committee: | Education | Vote: | 7 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY:
This bill requires Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs), and updates and revisions to the LCAPs, to be posted on school district and county office of education (COE) websites in languages other than English, if the primary language other than English is spoken by at least 15% of the pupils enrolled in a school of the district or COE school. Specifically, this bill:
- Requires charter schools to post on their website their annual update of goals and actions and requires each update to also translate these documents, as specified.
- Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to post on the California Department of Education's (CDE) website links to the approved LCAP of each school district and county office of education in each language posted on the website of the district or county office of education.
FISCAL EFFECT:
- Proposition 98/GF state mandated costs, likely in the low millions of dollars, for local education agencies (LEAs) to translate LCAPs in primary languages. There are several variables that will affect local costs, including the fees each LEA is charged for translations according to contractual agreements. Translation of documents can range from $30 to $80 per page. Some contracts charge $0.10 to $0.25 per word. LCAPs can range from 35 to 400 pages long. The cost to translate one 100 page document in one language could range from $3,000 to $8,000. According to CDE, there are approximately 730 school districts and COEs that meet the 15% threshold to translate documents. Charter schools would also incur costs to translate their annual goals and actions documents. The number of charter schools that meet the 15% threshold is unknown and charter schools are not eligible for mandate reimbursement.
- Minor/absorbable costs to CDE to post links on the department website to the translated LCAP documents posted by school districts and COEs.
COMMENTS:
- Purpose. The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) was enacted to provide a more equitable distribution of education dollars—especially among districts with populations of low income pupils, English learners, and pupils in foster care—and to provide more local discretion over the use of those dollars. Accountability for the use of those dollars is achieved though the requirement to adopt and annually revise LCAPs.
Existing law requires school districts with a student population of over 15% whom speak a single primary language other than English to provide all notices, reports, statements, or records be sent to students and parents in both English and the single primary language.
According to the author, currently all school districts are mandated to post their LCAP on the school district website so parents and other interested parties can review them. Although current law tasks school districts with high non-English speakers to publish communications with parents in both English and the other languages, it is not clear in the Education Code that the LCAP’s should be published in these other languages. This bill would allow parents who are non-English speakers to be able to review their school districts LCAP’s in their native language, consistent with other notices, reports, statements, or records sent home.
Analysis Prepared by: Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
Date of Hearing: April 13, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Patrick O'Donnell, Chair
ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1935 (
Author:Kim) – As Introduced Ver:February 12, 2016
SUBJECT: Local control and accountability plans: posting in different languages
SUMMARY: Requires Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) and updates and revisions to the LCAPs to be posted on a school district's and county office of education's Internet website in languages other than English if specified conditions are met. Specifically, this bill:
- Requires school districts and county superintendents of schools to post LCAPs on their Internet websites in English and each primary language other than English spoken by at least 15% of the pupils enrolled in a school of the district or county office of education schools.
- Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to post on the California Department of Education's (CDE) website links to the approved LCAP of each school district and county office of education in each language posted on the website of the district or county office of education.
EXISTING LAW:
- Requires each school district and county office of education to adopt and annually update an LCAP.
- Requires the SPI to post links to each LCAP on the CDE website.
- Requires all notices, reports, statements, or records sent to the parents or guardians of pupils in a school to be provided in English and the primary language of the pupils if at least 15% of the pupils speak a primary language other than English.
FISCAL EFFECT: State mandated local program
COMMENTS: Existing law requires school districts and county offices of education to adopt and annually update LCAPs using a template adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE). Charter schools are required to annually update their goals and actions to achieve those goals, also using the template adopted by the SBE. The template is designed to provide guidance to local education agencies (LEAs) in providing a listing and description of expenditures for implementing the specific actions included in the LCAP and a listing and description of expenditures that will serve the pupils who are low income, English learners, in foster care and who have been redesignated as fluent English proficient.
The SBE –adopted template is a matrix-type document that consists of several columns and rows. Although the blank template is 15 pages long, most LCAPs are more than 100 pages long, and some are more than 300 pages long. Because many parents and members of the public have found the length of the templates to be daunting and confusing, many LEAs have produced more "user friendly" summaries, which provide the basic elements of the LCAP, but without the same level of detail. Because the cost of translating the full LCAP into multiple languages is likely to be very high, and since the full translated LCAP may be less useful for its intended audience than a translated summary, staff recommends that the bill be amended to require a district or county office of education to translate either the full LCAP or the summary, if it has one, provided the summary contains, at a minimum, the following:
- A description of the annual goals and specific actions contained in the plan pursuant to Sections 52060(c) and 52066(c) of the Education Code.
- A description of how the plan addresses each of the state priorities pursuant to Sections 52060(d) and 52066(d) of the Education Code.
This would be a minimum requirement. A district would still be able to translate the full LCAP is it chooses.
Charter schools. Charter schools are not required to adopt LCAPs. Instead, they are required to annually update their goals and annual actions to achieve those goals that are identified in the charter petition. The same template that districts use for their LCAPs is also for use by charter schools when they update their annual goals and actions. Charter schools also enroll large numbers of students from families whose primary language is other than English. There is no analytical reason to believe that the parents of charter school students are any less deserving than the parents of traditional school students to have access to translated copies of their school's educational plans. One could argue that students attend charter schools by choice, and therefore have the option to not attend a charter school if it does not meet the students' and their family's needs. However, not accommodating the language needs of families could be a screen that discourages attendance by some students, especially English learners. In such cases, the school would not be fulfilling the intent of the Legislature that charter schools "increase learning opportunities for all pupils, with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for pupils who are identified as academically low achieving" (Education Code 47601). Accordingly, staff recommends that the bill be amended to apply to charter schools as well as to school districts and county offices of education.
Arguments in support. According to the author's office, "Considering that the [Local Control Funding Formula] provides additional funding based upon the number of EL pupils in a district, parents should be able to view the accountability piece—the LCAP—so they can meaningfully participate in their child's education." In addition, the author's office provided data showing that only about a quarter of districts with an EL population of more than 20% provided a translated version of their LCAPs.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Advancement Project
California Association for Bilingual Education
California Federation of Teachers
Californians Together Coalition
Education Trust West
Opposition
None received
Analysis Prepared by: Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):